In a study of 44,300 UK patients who used epilepsy drugs between 1990 and 2005, researchers found an increased risk of suicide only among current users of certain newer medications that have previously been linked to a risk of depression.

The findings were published in the journal Neurology. In 2008, the Food and Drug Administration started requiring all epilepsy drugs to carry a warning about the risk of suicidal behavior.

That requirement came from studying 199 clinical trials testing 11 different epilepsy medications, which found that patients receiving medication had a higher rate of suicidal thoughts and behavior during the study periods than those given a placebo.